What do you guys use for finding routes?

[ChrisL]

My Garmin is several years old & going wonkey on me so I have been looking at replacing it.  I’m not a data junkie but am really interested in downloading routes onto it for the turn by turn function. I’m also more concerned about off road than on.  

Where do you guys find routes & what device do you download them to?  

[bikeman564™]

I still use my Garmin Edge 500.  I've not mapped out a ride, but here is a site you can try https://gravelmap.com

 

 

[Razors Edge ★]

15 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

My Garmin is several years old & going wonkey on me so I have been looking at replacing it.  I’m not a data junkie but am really interested in downloading routes onto it for the turn by turn function. I’m also more concerned about off road than on.  

Where do you guys find routes & what device do you download them to?  

I use Strava to create Routes. I use RideWithGPS as well, and it creates useful cuesheets.  I also use Gravelmaps to find segments and routes.  I rarely actually load a course to my device though.  I think all three (and Garmin's site) would be fine sending a route to my Garmin 520.

I was looking at this ride the other day, and "send to device" gives you a nice walk-through for each device type:

[az_cyclist]

I use a Wahoo Bolt.  I design routes using ridewithgps.  You can search for routes there as well.

[goldendesign]

I use Google maps selecting bicycling as my route highlighter, then selecting bike as transport, then download the route to my phone. It gives notifications of turns to my fitbit.

[donkpow]

OsmAnd. Actually I use all the assets at my disposal to create the route. OsmAnd is just the final bit with turn by turn voice directions when needed.

[Zealot]

I use my bike or my car to find routes.  Mostly, I go on exploratory rides and if I like a particular ride I did, it becomes one of my routes. 

[dinneR ★]

I use my sense of smell. I also get lost a lot.

For mtb'ing I use Trail Forks. They have an app, but I don't use it. I just memorize the trail.

https://www.trailforks.com/

[jdc2000]

Map downloaded to brain.

 

[Ralphie ★]

School of Hard Knox. 

[smudge ★]

16 hours ago, dennis said:

I use my sense of smell. I also get lost a lot.

For mtb'ing I use Trail Forks. They have an app, but I don't use it. I just memorize the trail.

https://www.trailforks.com/

Glad to know I'm not the only one who gets lost a lot!

[Razors Edge ★]

19 hours ago, dennis said:

I also get lost a lot.

... I just memorize the trail.

Maybe "try to" memorize the trail is more what you do?

I am slowly growing my "network" of trails - usually adding several miles at a time to a set of roads I already know.  Likewise, I often do a ride to try it out, and then, when my buddy sees I did a new route, he asks to join me on it, so I end up doing it again.  It is amazing how quickly the brain holds that first ride in memory and then cements it the second time through.  Clearly, it was a HUGE evolutionary leap for folks to be good at finding and then remembering where resources were located, so even in this super-electronic age, the human brain really is a great (maybe the best) system we still have for sorting out routes and making sense of them.  There are also those folks who "have a great sense of direction" and while that skill is less needed in the GPS era, it remains a true skill and one perfect for exploring adventures.

[ChrisL]

My main concern is off road and branching out beyond my usual trail network.  I have a good sense of direction on the road but after riding with others who had the ability to say yeah this dirt trail, turn left here... Is a nice feature when on it for the first time.

[Razors Edge ★]

4 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

My main concern is off road and branching out beyond my usual trail network.  I have a good sense of direction on the road but after riding with others who had the ability to say yeah this dirt trail, turn left here... Is a nice feature when on it for the first time.

Like Dennis mentioned, the Trailforks site is neat for MTB stuff.  Below is my local trail that I enter from the bottom and ride through and pop out at the middle right spot.  I have the Trailforks app on my phone, and it shows your current location overlayed on the map, so if just wondering "WTF am I" or "where does this go", it makes it pretty easy to see.  I've never used it to build routes or export them to my Garmin (don't even know if it can do that), but it is a quick way to see the plotted paths in an area. 

[ChrisL]

55 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Like Dennis mentioned, the Trailforks site is neat for MTB stuff.  Below is my local trail that I enter from the bottom and ride through and pop out at the middle right spot.  I have the Trailforks app on my phone, and it shows your current location overlayed on the map, so if just wondering "WTF am I" or "where does this go", it makes it pretty easy to see.  I've never used it to build routes or export them to my Garmin (don't even know if it can do that), but it is a quick way to see the plotted paths in an area. 

I’ll definitely check that out. My Garmin has been acting up anyway & it seems there is a lot of similar functionality on the Garmin 500 series & above. But I was also wondering about Wahoo’s products.

[dinneR ★]

5 hours ago, smudge said:

Glad to know I'm not the only one who gets lost a lot!

"Not all who wander are lost."

We're just happy wanderers.

[dinneR ★]

23 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I’ll definitely check that out. My Garmin has been acting up anyway & it seems there is a lot of similar functionality on the Garmin 500 series & above. But I was also wondering about Wahoo’s products.

Serious answer, for longer gravel rides of 100 miles or long mtb rides and such, I am usually in the backcountry, out of cell range, bear country. I use my Garmin etrex. You can load the map ahead of time and are not dependent on a cell signal. Gaia works too, but it will eat your battery life.

S&R is always busy and I try not be that guy. This winter will be the winter of backcountry travel. This weekend, I'll be practicing using a avalanche transceiver.

[Razors Edge ★]

1 minute ago, dennis said:

Serious answer, for longer gravel rides of 100 miles or long mtb rides and such, I am usually in the backcountry, out of cell range, bear country. I use my Garmin etrex. You can load the map ahead of time and are not dependent on a cell signal. Gaia works too, but it will eat your battery life.

Another BACK-UP to the backup is to preload Google Maps to your phone.  You just search to an area you are planning to visit (on your phone in Google maps), select the map area, and download it to your phone.  Then, even with no data or cell signal, the phone's GPS will have the coordinates and the map detail you may need.  While down in NZ and Australia, I had all the area maps downloaded ahead of time to my phone, so even in airplane mode, I was able to use the phone as a GPS device and zoom in on maps for greater detail and info.

[dinneR ★]

28 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Another BACK-UP to the backup is to preload Google Maps to your phone.  You just search to an area you are planning to visit (on your phone in Google maps), select the map area, and download it to your phone.  Then, even with no data or cell signal, the phone's GPS will have the coordinates and the map detail you may need.  While down in NZ and Australia, I had all the area maps downloaded ahead of time to my phone, so even in airplane mode, I was able to use the phone as a GPS device and zoom in on maps for greater detail and info.

Google maps sucks around here. My apt is not even on it. I can choose a route to signal mtn and it sends me down roads that do not exist. The number of cars that turn down my dead road is amazing. I'm not sure where it sending them, but they all have to turn around.

Apple sucks too. It's been sending people to Victor ID instead of Yellowstone NP.

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/the_hole_scroll/apple-maps-takes-yellowstone-roadtrippers-on-a-detour-to-rural-idaho/article_47e76cbb-27de-57e8-b84b-ccb174b05a61.html

[Razors Edge ★]

10 minutes ago, dennis said:

Google maps sucks around here. My apt is not even on it. I can choose a route to signal mtn and it sends me down roads that do not exist. The number of cars that turn down my dead road is amazing. I'm not sure where it sending them, but they all have to turn around.

Apple sucks too. It's been sending people to Victor ID instead of Yellowstone NP.

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/the_hole_scroll/apple-maps-takes-yellowstone-roadtrippers-on-a-detour-to-rural-idaho/article_47e76cbb-27de-57e8-b84b-ccb174b05a61.html

  Too funny.

But, yeah, looks like they sorted that out in the recent versions.  I gotta say, though, common sense (which isn't common) generally warrants spending at least a one second glance at the map before following it blindly?

[dinneR ★]

14 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

  Too funny.

But, yeah, looks like they sorted that out in the recent versions.  I gotta say, though, common sense (which isn't common) generally warrants spending at least a one second glance at the map before following it blindly?

It's amazing how many people go around road closed barriers because they're navigation pointed them in that direction.

Google maps once tried to send me over the Tetons. WTF? It directs me around the airport(maybe down the runway?) to get to GTNP. There is a path from town to Jenny Lake, but it only sends you down part of it. 

My sense of smell is a better guide.

[ChrisL]

3 minutes ago, dennis said:

It's amazing how many people go around road closed barriers because they're navigation pointed them in that direction.

Google maps once tried to send me over the Tetons. WTF? It directs me around the airport(maybe down the runway?) to get to GTNP. There is a path from town to Jenny Lake, but it only sends you down part of it. 

My sense of smell is a better guide.

Yeah I trust my eyes & brain more than the mapping app.  Sometimes the algorithms will have you save 30 seconds by making numerous turns.  F that just go straight...

[ChrisL]

1 hour ago, dennis said:

Serious answer, for longer gravel rides of 100 miles or long mtb rides and such, I am usually in the backcountry, out of cell range, bear country. I use my Garmin etrex. You can load the map ahead of time and are not dependent on a cell signal. Gaia works too, but it will eat your battery life.

S&R is always busy and I try not be that guy. This winter will be the winter of backcountry travel. This weekend, I'll be practicing using a avalanche transceiver.

This is overkill for my needs but I did notice one of the Garmins has the ability  for others to track your progress. I think my wife might like this feature.  I often get numerous texts on a MTB ride making sure a MTN lion hasn’t eaten me.

[dinneR ★]

3 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

This is overkill for my needs but I did notice one of the Garmins has the ability  for others to track your progress. I think my wife might like this feature.  I often get numerous texts on a MTB ride making sure a MTN lion hasn’t eaten me.

Does your phone have the ability to respond from the stomach of the lion?

The etrex is overkill for most. The trailforks app works really well for most people with decent cell service. Cell service is spotty here because of the mountains and so much wilderness. 

Gaia works well too.

[dinneR ★]

This guy went around a road closed barrier and spent the night stuck in his truck.

At the moment there is a semi stuck on Teton pass that did not obey the no trailers law. 

 

[ChrisL]

1 minute ago, dennis said:

Does your phone have the ability to respond from the stomach of the lion?

The etrex is overkill for most. The trailforks app works really well for most people with decent cell service. Cell service is spotty here because of the mountains and so much wilderness. 

Gaia works well too.

I know I always tease her about that too.  With every MTB ride I tell her where I’m riding, when I take off & my expected return time.  If I’m running behind I always update her.   
 

But if my phone is in a lion along with most of me she can at least tell EMS where I rode.

[dinneR ★]

3 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I know I always tease her about that too.  With every MTB ride I tell her where I’m riding, when I take off & my expected return time.  If I’m running behind I always update her.   
 

But if my phone is in a lion along with most of me she can at least tell EMS where I rode.

If that lion is fast, you could lead some strava segments.

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

On my last ride we saw this hand written sign: 

[Razors Edge ★]

19 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

This is overkill for my needs but I did notice one of the Garmins has the ability  for others to track your progress. I think my wife might like this feature.  I often get numerous texts on a MTB ride making sure a MTN lion hasn’t eaten me.

Wahoo has similar.  Basically, it still needs to be paired to your phone, so if you have crappy cell service where you are going, it won't be much use.  But, in most areas, it's fine most of the time.

Looks like all Garmins have the basics now: